Fireplace front or fixture



3 Sheets-Sheet l G. MERRYWEATHER HAL FIREPLACE FRONT OR FIXTURE I 1 l l 1 1 May 10, 1955 Filed Oct. 30, 1950 INVENTORS GERALD MERRYWEATHER 8| BLYLOYD MERRYWEATHER ATTORNEY y 1955 ca. IMERRYWEATHER ETAL ,707, 46

FIREPLACE FRONT 0R FIXTURE FIG. 4

- I /50 INVENTORS GERALD 'MERRYWEATHER a 1. 5pm MERRYWEATHER l', i .r '1' mm m M ATTORNEY May 10, 1955 Filed Oct. 30. 1950 e. MERRYWEATHER ETAL ,707,946

FIREPLACE FRONT OR FIXTURE 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS GERALD MERRYWEATHER 84 LI QYD MERRYWE ATHER ATTORNEY United States Patent FIREPLACE FRONT OR FIXTURE Gerald Merryweather, Cuyahoga Falls, and Lloyd Merryweather, Akron, Ohio Application October 30, 1950, Serial No. 192,878 8 Claims. (Cl. 126-140) This invention relates to a fireplace front or fixture, of the type which is readily attachable at the front of the usual relatively large opening of a fireplace pro vided with a grate for burning fuel, such as coal, Wood, gas, etc.

The present invention relates to improvements over the disclosure in prior Patent No. 2,398,240, issued April 9, 1946, wherein is shown a fireplace front or fixture including heat-resistant glass doors mounted in a rectangular metal frame.

While the device shown and described in said patent has been found to be highly satisfactory and to 'func tion substantially in the manner described therein, in actual practice, occasional glass breakage has been experienced, due in part to non-uniformly heat-resistant glass being supplied to the manufacturer of the unit, and in part due possibly to relatively cool air from the draft opening at the bottom of the unit striking localized areas on the glass, in conjunction with abnormal conditions, such as over-heating the fireplace area by burning oily rags or other highly combustible materials and similar abuse of the unit.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved fireplace front or fixture of the character described, including improved means by which glass doors or panels of the unit are maintained substantially uniformly hot while a fire is burning in the fireplace, whereby is obviated or minimized glass breakage due to conditions described above.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fireplace front of the character described including improved means for preventing or minimizing collection of smoke, dust, or the like from the fire, on the inside of the glass panels of the unit.

These and other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following brief description and the accompanying drawings.

Of the accompanying drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation, partly broken away and in section, illustrating the improved unit positioned in a fireplace opening.

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-section, partly broken away and in section, taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a further enlarged fragmentary cross-section, taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure l,

Figure 7 'is a front elevation illustrating a modified form of the invention.

Referring generally to Figures 1 to 6 of the drawings, the numeral 10 designates a rectangular frame having relatively narrow top and side strips 11, 12 and 13, and a relatively narrow but wider bottom strip 14, the side and top strips being adapted to overlie the side and top edges of the usual fireplace opening (see Figures 2 and 5).

The top and side strips may be channel-shaped as shown, with at least the outermost flanges 15 and 16 of the top and side strips, respectively, having inturned flange portions 18 and 19, respectively, for engagement with the front face portions of the fireplace structure defining the fireplace opening 21. The inner edges of at least the top and bottom strips are formed inwardly in reversed bends to provide relatively narrow off-set seat portions 22 at opposite sides of a rectangular opening '23, defined by the top, bottom and side strips, said opening substantially closely approximating the full size of the fireplace opening 21. The lower edge of the bottom strip 14 is shown flanged inwardly at 24 to enhance the support of the frame. The use of channel strips as described at the top and sides of the frame make it possible to fit the frame easily over fireplace openings within a substantially wide range of sizes, including openings which are somewhat smaller than the openings defined within the frame 10.

Seated within the seat portions 22 of the frame 10, to fill the opening 23 thereof, may be a pair of closure panels or doors 25 and 26, comprising rectangular frames 27 and 28 of metal, such as brass, plated steel, etc., the frames 27 and 28 being of U-shaped crosssection, and each having fitted therein a plurality of vertically spaced panes 29, 29 (two such panes being shown on each door) of fully transparent glass or like material adapted to withstand relatively high heat from a fire in a grate G in the fireplace. Several types of highly heat-resistant glass are at present available on the market, including one sold under the trade name Herculite, manufactured by the Pittsburgh Plate Glass Company; The frames 27 and 28 are relatively narrow, as shown, to expose a maximum area of the transparent glass panels, so that a maximum full view of a fire in the fireplace will be possible. The panel frames 27 and 28 are suitably hinged at the outer edges thereof to the frame 10, as indicated at 30 and 31, to

permit swinging the panels toward and from the closed positions best shown in Figures 1, 2 and 5.

Referring particularly to Figures 1, 3 and 4, the doors 25 and 26 are releasably held in closed position as by means of spaced spring clips 11a, 11a seillustrating releasable catch means for retaining doors of the unit in closed position.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary cross-section, on the same scale as Figure 3, taken substantially on the line 44 of Figure 1, and illustrating improved draft and airdeflector means.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary horizontal cross-section, on the samescale, taken substantially on the line 55 of Figure 1'.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary vertical cross section taken substantially on the line 6-6 of FigureS.

cured to the flange 22 of top strip 11 (see Figures 1 and 3), said clips each having resilient portions 11b yieldirigly' engageable by the top edges of the door frames 27 and 28, at points adjacent the inner corners thereof, and having out-turned lugs for stop engagement with said door frames to maintain the outer faces thereof flush with the outer face of the frame 10. A single clip 14a, secured to the flange 22 of bottom strip 14 has a resilient portion 14b similarly releasably engageable with the bottom corner portions of both door frames 27 and 28, and also has a ing 14c for stop engagement with the inner faces of said frames, as before (see Figure 4).

As best shown in Figures 1 and 6, the glass panes 29 may be held in spaced relation by means of L-shaped members 32, short spacer portions 33 of which engage between adjacent corner edge portions of vertically spaced panels to define narrow slits (approximating of an inch) between the panes, the spacer portions being held in position as described by relatively longer portions Patented May 10, 1955 34 extending between the side edges of the panes and the corresponding portions of the panel frames.

Handles 35 and 36 are provided on the inner sides of the panel frames 27 and 28, as shown, to facilitate opening and closing the closure panels.

For controlling the rate of burning of a fire in the grate G, suitable draft means is provided in the unit. To this end, oppositely disposed, elongated channel members 37 and 38 have oppositely out-turned flange portions 39 and 40 engaged over the top and bottom edges 41 and 42 of a rectangular draft opening 43 in the bottom frame strip 14, the length of said opening being only a small proportion of the width of frame 10. The channel members 37 and 38 may be suitably secured to said bottom strip as by welding the same, but they are satisfactorily held in place by sliding reception of a pair of draft closure plates 44 and 45 between the same, the closure plates having oppositely inturned channel-shaped edge portions 46 and 47 reciprocally received in the channels of said members 37 and 38 to be slidable along the same. For so sliding the closure plates, to adjust the size of the draft opening, the same may have handles 48 and 49 at the adjacent inner ends thereof, the fully closed position being illustrated in chain-dotted lines in Figure 1, and a partially open position being shown in full lines in Figure 1.

Means is provided, in adidtion to the slits 29a between the vertically spaced glass panels 29, to maintain said panels at substantially uniform temperature at all points while there is a fire in the fireplace, or to obviate possible damage due to shock resulting from sudden blasts of hot or cold air, especially when the fireplace unit is abused as previously described. To this end vertically and laterally spaced series of relatively small vent apertures 50, 50 extend through the closure plates 44 and 45 from a point closely adjacent the inner marginal edges thereof laterally to adjacent the outer marginal edges of the same, and these series of apertures are continued, through the bottom strip 14 of the frame 10, laterally from adjacent the opposite ends of the draft opening to adjacent the opposite ends of the bottom strip, as best shown in Figure 1.

For diverting air entering through the apertures 50 and/or draft opening 43, upwardly in a plane behind the glass closure panels or doors, a deflector strip 52 of thin metal may be mounted on the bottom strip 14 to have a bottom edge thereof closely adjacent the inner face of said bottom strip, as by means of spaced supporting clips 53 and 54 bolted to the bottom strip and to the deflector strip. Deflector strip 52 has an upwardly extending, vertically angled portion 55, spaced inwardly of the frame, the arrangement being such that air entering through the apertures 50 of the draft closure plates and bottom strip 14 impinges upon the deflector 52, and upturned portion 55 of the latter is effective to direct the impinged air upwardly in a layer or sheet substantially parallel to the plane of the closure panels 25 and 26. The resulting relatively thin sheet of air maintained at the inner side of the closure panel, in addition to maintaining the glass panels at desired uniform temperature, is also effective to prevent smoke, dust, and other particles emanating from the fire in the grate G, from accumulating on the inner surfaces of the glass panels, and the necessity for cleaning said surface is thereby reduced to a minimum. The deflector 52 extends behind the series of apertures 50 substantially to the full length of the bottom strip 14, so that said layer or sheet of air will blanket the entire interior surface of the glass panels. As best illustrated in Figures 1 and 4 the bottom edge of the deflector is above the bottom edge of the draft opening so that when the draft closure plates are in fully open position, approximately /3 of the draft opening will be exposed below said bottom edge of the deflector. Thus, draft iar entering the draft opening 43 through the space below the deflector plate will be directed under the fire in the firebox of the fireplace. The wider the draft opening, provided by sliding the draft closure plates laterally toward opposite ends, the warmer the fire will be, and correspondingly greater will be the mount of air received through the draft opening and directed upwardly by the deflector 52 to compensate for the increased heat at the center of the closure panel means.

The frame 10 is secured against the outer face of the fireplace structure, as by means of inwardly extending, elongated strips 56, having angularly extending flanges bolted to triangular gussets 57, 57 secured to the frame 10 across the upper corners of the frame opening, as best shown in Figures 1 and 2, the triangular gussets also serving to reinforce the frame. The inwardly extending strips 56 have elongated slots therein for reception of lag screws 58 adapted to be threaded into lead expanders 59 of known type imbedded in the inner side portions of the fireplace structure. For preventing lateral or side play of the frame unit, brackets 60, 60 are suitably attached to the bottom strip 14 of the frame, and have screws 61, 61 threaded therethrough to be adjustable to engage the ends of the screws with said inner side portion faces of the fireplace structure.

In use or operation of the improved fireplace fixture, with the unit mounted in position in a fireplace opening as previously described, the closure panels or doors 25 and 26 are normally in closed position as shown in the drawings. The doors, however, are easily opened, either for the purpose of building or replenishing a fire in the fireplace, or for cleaning within the fireplace opening.

The amount of heat built up in the fireplace, and the rate of burning of the fire in grate G, is effectively controlled by sliding the draft closure plates 44 and 45 along the top and bottom channel members 37 and 38, to adjust the size of the opening 43, and particularly of the effective draft opening below the bottom edge of the deflector 52. The fire in grate G may thus be effectively controlled to burn uniformly and at any desired rate, as compared with the results obtainable in an open fireplace wherein the rate of burning is unsteady and unpredictable. The glass panes of the closure panel means or doors 25 and 26 upon becoming heated to requisite temperature by the fire in the fireplace, in turn transmit heat by radiation and convection outwardly of the fireplace into the room in which it is located. Although the temperature of the glass may reach a substantially high degree (perhaps upwardly of 300 F.) this temperature is maintained substantially uniform all over the glass panes 29, by reason of the provision of the aforementioned sheet or layer of air, caused by air entering through small apertures 50 in the frame bottom strip 14 and in the closure plates 44 and 45 of the draft means, being directed upwardly by the deflector strip 52. As previously stated this sheet of air keeps the temperature of the glass uniform and also keeps the inner surface portions thereof clean.

The transparency of the glass panes of the closure panel means permits full view of the fire burning in the fireplace with the attendant visual enjoyment of the fire, but without the usual discomfort of an open fireplace resulting from non-uniform heat emanating therefrom combined with cold drafty air drawn to the fireplace by the relatively large open draft thereof. It is well known that an unshielded open fireplace draws air from a room at substantially all areas of the frontal opening, and that instead of heat being transmitted into the room from the fireplace, heat from other sources, such as from a central heating unit, is dissipated upwardly and outwardly through the fireplace and the flue of the same.

The doors of the panel closure means are maintained closed when there is no fire in the fireplace to prevent entry of dust or dirt into the room, in which event the closure plate of the draft opening would be maintained in closed position, the unit in this condition also pre- Venting passage of drafty air currents from the room toward the fireplace opening. The improved fireplace unit eliminates any necessity for the fireplace having a flue draft damper, and also makes possible full and beneficial use of fireplaces having faulty, smoke creating, draft means, which might otherwise be unusable.

The apertures 50 in the bottom frame strip 14 and in the draft closure plates 44 and 45 are of such number and size as to provide the requisite cooling effect on the glass panes as described, without materially affecting efiicient operation of the draft means. The apertures may be of such relatively small size, as for example, /8 inch in diameter, as to minimize possible entry therethrough of insects or the like into the room.

In Figure 7 there is illustrated a modified form of fireplace front, which is in all respects similar to that shown and described in connection with Figures 1 to 6, except that each door panel has three panes of glass therein instead of two, the panes being separated as before to define narrow slits.

Other modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be infront of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, and closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thick ness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning space, said bottom strip having therethrough a plurality of relatively small apertures grouped laterally in opposite directions from the central portion of the frame to adjacent opposite sides thereof, said closure panel means including a plurality of panes of heat-resistant glass arranged in vertically spaced edge-to-edge relation and spacer means being provided for maintaining the panes with adjacent edges thereof spaced apart to provide narrow, laterally extending slits.

2. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning space, said bottom strip having therethrough a plurality of spaced relatively small apertures grouped laterally in opposite directions from the central portion of the frame to adjacent opposite sides thereof, and a deflector mounted on the inside of said frame, said deflector having an upwardly extending air-deflecting portion spaced inwardly of the frame and directly behind said grouped apertures, whereby air entering through said apertures is impinged on said airdeflecting portion and directed upwardly in a layer of air substantially parallel to the plane of the closure panel means, said closure panel means including two panel frames hingedly connected to said first-named frame, releasable catch means for retaining said panel frames in closed position, and a plurality of panes of heat-resistant glass arranged in said panel frame in vertically spaced edge-to-edge relation providing narrow,

laterally extending slits between the vertically adjacent panes of glass.

3. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual open ing of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning space, said bottom strip having therethrough a plurality of spaced relatively small apertures grouped laterally in opposite directions from the central portion of the frame to adjacent opposite sides thereof, and a deflector mounted on the inside of the frame and extending laterally substantially to the full lateral extent of said grouped apertures, said deflector having a bottom edge closely adjacent to the inner face of said bottom strip and having an upwardly extending air-deflecting portion spaced inwardly of the frame, said air-deflecting portion being positioned directly behind said grouped apertures, whereby air entering through said apertures is impinged on the air-deflecting portion and directed upwardly in a layer of air substantially parallel to the plane of the closure panel means, said closure panel means including two panel frames hingedly connected to said first-named frame, releasable catch means for retaining said panel framesin closed position, and a plurality of panes of heatresistant glass arranged in said panel frames in vertically spaced edge-to-edge relation providing narrow, laterally extending slits between the vertically adjacent panes of glass.

4. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a.

fire in said fuel burning space, said bottom strip having therethrough a plurality of spaced relatively small apertures grouped laterally in opposite directions from the central portion of the frame to adjacent opposite sides thereof, and a deflector mounted on the inside of the frame and extending laterally substantially to the full lateral extent of said grouped apertures, said deflector having a bottom edge closely adjacent to the inner face of said bottom strip and having an upwardly extending air-deflecting portion spaced inwardly of the frame, said air-deflecting portion being positioned directly behind said grouped apertures, whereby air entering through said apertures is impinged on the air-deflecting portion and directed upwardly in a layer of air substantially parallel to the plane of the closure panel means, said closure panel means including two panel frames hingedly connected to said first-named frame, releasable catch means for retaining said panel frames in closed position, and a plurality of panes of heatresistant glass arranged in said panel frames in vertically spaced edge-to-edge relation providing narrow, laterally extending slits between the vertically adjacent panes of glass, said bottom strip having a draft opening therein of substantial total flow area, and closure means adjustably mounted over said draft opening and being adjustable for varying the size of said draft opening, at least a substantial proportion of said total flow area of said draft opening being below said bottom edge of said deflector for permitting some draft air entering the draft opening in open condition thereof to pass under said deflector and some to be impinged on the deflector.

5. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, and closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, and presenting a generally vertical planar front wall, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning space, said closure panel means including a plurality of panes of heat-resistant glass arranged with oppositely disposed end portions adjacent each other and spacer means being provided for maintaining said end portions spaced from each other to provide narrow laterally elongated slits therebetween and thereby permitting passage of air between the adjacent end portions.

6. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning space, said closure panel means including two panel frames hingedly connected to said first-named frame, releasable catch means for retaining said panel frames in closed position, and a plurality of panes of heat-resistant glass arranged in each said panel frame in vertically spaced edge-to-edge relation providing narrow, laterally extending slits between the vertically adjacent panes of glass, said bottom strip having a draft opening therein and adjustable closure means for adjusting the size of the draft opening.

7. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning area, said bottom strip having therethrough a plurality of spaced relatively small apertures grouped laterally in opposite directions from the central portion of the frame to adjacent opposite sides thereof, a deflector having top and bottom edge portions defining between the same an air-deflecting surface portion, and means for mounting said deflector on said frame with said bottom edge portion relatively closely adjacent the inward side of said bottom strip and said air-deflecting surface portion directly behind said grouped apertures and upwardly divergent to have said top edge portion relatively widely spaced from the inward side of the bottom strip, whereby draft-propelled air entering through said grouped apertures is impinged against said air-deflecting surface portion and directed upwardly in a layer of said air spaced inwardly of the plane of said closure panel means.

8. In a fireplace front of the character described, a unit comprising a frame having top, bottom and side strips, said frame being adapted to fit in the usual opening of a fireplace to be in front of a fuel burning space therein, said frame defining an opening therein, closure panel means mounted on said frame to close said frame opening, said closure panel means being of transparent, relatively high heat-resisting character, said closure panel means being of substantially uniform thickness to provide substantially uniform radiation of heat from the closure panel means, said closure panel means providing therethrough substantially unrestricted view of a fire in said fuel burning space, said bottom strip having therethrough a plurality of spaced relatively small apertures grouped laterally in opposite directions from the central portion of the frame to adjacent opposite sides thereof, and a deflector mounted on the inside of the frame and extending substantially the full extent of said grouped apertures, said deflector having a bottom edge closely adjacent to the inner face of said bottom strip and having an upturned air-deflecting portion upwardly divergently spaced from said inner face, said air-deflecting portion being positioned directly behind said grouped apertures, whereby air entering through said apertures is impinged on the air-deflecting portion and directed upwardly in a layer of air spaced inwardly of the plane of the closure panel means, said bottom strip having a draft opening therein of substantial total flow area, closure means being adjustably mounted over said draft opening and being adjustable for varying the lateral width of said draft opening, proportionate flow areas of said draft opening being above and below said bottom edge of said deflector for permitting some draft air entering the draft opening in open condition thereof to pass under said deflector and some to be impinged on said air-deflecting portion.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 82,637 Redway Sept. 29, 1868 98,879 Nott Jan. 18, 1870 220,528 Greene Oct. 14, 1879 596,056 Daniel Dec. 28, 1897 1,172,629 Petrie Feb. 22, 1916 1,681,995 Miles Aug. 28, 1928 1,804,988 Howe May 12, 1931 2,135,899 Jenson Nov. 8, 1938 2,398,240 Merryweather Apr. 9, 1946 

